The night the world ended began like any other.The city of Greyhaven lay drenched in neon light, its towers stabbing the clouds, its streets buzzing with tired people chasing paychecks and empty dreams. Somewhere in a cramped one-room apartment on the lower east side, Ethan Cross sat hunched over his gaming console, eyes fixed on the flickering screen.His fingers moved with quiet precision, but his mind wasn’t in it. He had just lost again.“Defeated. Rank dropped to Bronze II.”The metallic voice from the headset mocked him. Ethan’s throat tightened. He exhaled, setting the controller aside before he threw it.“Story of my life,” he muttered, rubbing his temples.He’d been a gamer for as long as he could remember, but never a good one. Not like the streamers with sponsors or the tournament champions his old friends worshiped. He’d been the one who almost made it—until he quit college, bet everything on gaming, and lost it all.His mother’s words still haunted him.“You can’t live i

The following morning came without sunlight.Greyhaven’s sky had turned into a living screen—clouds shifting like broken pixels, bleeding streaks of code and red light. The city was alive, but not in any way that made sense.Down in the subway tunnels, the survivors stirred to the sound of distant explosions. Ethan Cross was already awake, sitting apart from the group, his eyes fixed on the glowing blue interface that hovered silently before him.[Game Master System – Status]Level: 2 Mental Energy: 68% Privileges: Zone Edit (Tier 1), Limited Spawn Next Unlock: Level 3 (Skill Creation Beta)He’d gained experience overnight—probably from proximity kills. The system seemed to reward survival itself, tracking every minute he stayed alive.Across the platform, Ryan Carter was organizing the group. “We move in ten minutes,” he announced, checking a blood-stained wristwatch. “Supplies are low, and we need weapons. There’s a dungeon gate in Sector Twelve—level one. We clear it, we eat.”Murmu

The city smoldered like a dying ember. Ash rained down from the sky, thick enough to choke the air. The explosions had faded into an eerie quiet, broken only by the crackling of fires devouring what was left of Crestfall’s downtown.Ethan sat on the roof of a half-collapsed bus station, his body trembling from exhaustion. Blood crusted his arm where the scavenger’s claws had grazed him. His clothes were torn, face streaked with soot and sweat. But despite the pain, there was a light in his eyes — fierce and alive.He’d survived the first night.He leaned back against a broken pillar, letting the adrenaline fade. “Seven nights,” he murmured to himself, staring at the blue text still glowing faintly in the air. “I can do seven nights.”A faint beep echoed in his mind.[System Notice: Health below 30%. Healing item recommended.]“Yeah, yeah,” he muttered. He pulled up his inventory — mostly junk. But in the corner, a faint shimmer.[Item: Minor Healing Potion x1]“Perfect.” He uncorked i

The first light of dawn stretched across the ruined skyline of Crestfall. The fires had burned out, leaving behind a gray stillness that felt almost sacred. The wind carried the smell of ash and iron, of victory and loss.Ethan sat beside Mira’s unconscious body, the remains of his battle scattered all around. His hands trembled, not from fear, but from the overwhelming silence after the chaos.The system interface still hovered faintly in the air, flickering with faint blue light.[Phase One Complete.][Preparing Phase Two: World Expansion – 00:14:32]He stared at the timer. Fourteen minutes until whatever came next.He glanced at Mira — her body flickered faintly, like static on an old TV screen. The edges of her form shimmered with light, caught between reality and code.He pressed a hand to her shoulder. “You’re not leaving me yet,” he whispered.The system beeped.[Healing Module: Emergency Function Available.] [Would you like to stabilize Entity: Mira Holt?]“Yes,” Ethan said ins

The air over Crestfall shimmered with static. Lightning rippled through the clouds, not from nature but from the system itself. Lines of glowing blue code streamed down like rain, rewriting the landscape below.Ethan stood on the rooftop of the safe zone tower, the wind whipping through his hair as he watched the skyline twist and shift. Far in the distance, a massive structure was materializing — rising higher than any skyscraper that had ever existed. Its surface was a seamless blend of steel and light, etched with pulsating runes that burned against the storm clouds.The Core Tower.[Global Event: The Core Tower Emerges.] [Access: Top 10 Players Only.] [Countdown to Activation: 23:59:45]The timer hovered in front of everyone’s vision. Twenty-four hours to fight, level, and survive—or be erased.Mira joined him, her face pale beneath the flickering lights. “It’s real,” she murmured. “The Core’s really doing it.”Ethan didn’t answer right away. His eyes tracked the movement below—hu